Structure of the Earth

The Earth has a layered structure made up of the core, the mantle and the crust.
Different elements are present in different parts of the Earth’s structure. The
crust is made from enormous plates which move very slowly due to movements
of the mantle below. The Earth's structure. Planet Earth is not a solid ball of rock,
it's made up of different layers.

The crust of the earth is thin - a bit like the skin of an apple. The crust is made
from solid rock in the form of tectonic plates.

Tectonic plates float on the semi-solid mantle, which moves very slowly as a result
of convection currents driven by heat energy from the hot core.

The outer core is liquid iron and nickel and generates the Earth's magnetic field.

And the inner core is made of solid iron and nickel.

The surface of the earth is constantly changing. It's the movement of the mantle
that causes the tectonic plates to rub together on the surface and this is what
causes earthquakes.

What is the core of the Earth made from?

The outer core is made of liquid iron and nickel.

The inner core is made from solid iron and nickel.

The structure of the Earth

The Earth is a planet and is roughly the shape of a sphere. There are three layers
that make up the Earth’s structure. The three layers, starting from the outside,
are:

 the crust – the rocky outer layer

 the mantle – the semi-solid middle layer
 the core - the innermost layer which is divided into an inner core and outer
core
 A cross-section showing the Earth’s structure

Which layer of the earth is closest to the surface?

The crust is the outermost layer of the Earth.

It is made from enormous plates of rocks. Some of the crust is covered by water –
the oceans.

Elements in the Earth

The Earth and its atmosphere are the only sources of elements for use in
everyday life. Human activities use a wide range of elements, including:

 hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) found in water

 iron (Fe) used for building materials and in car bodies

These elements can be found in the crust, the atmosphere and the oceans, which
all form part of the Earth’s structure.

The crust: The crust is made of huge pieces of land called tectonic plates which fit
together like a huge jigsaw. These plates move around because they are floating
on the semi-solid mantle below them, and this moves very slowly. The tectonic
plates only move a few centimetres each year.
In this diagram, the red lines represent the edges of the tectonic plates that make
up the Earth's crust.

Tectonic plates are rocky and extend below the sea

Oxygen: Oxygen is the element that makes up the largest percentage of the crust.
It is found in a variety of compounds, bonded to metal and non-metal elements.
These compounds are called minerals and they make up different types of rocks.
Silicon: The second most common element is silicon, found as silicon dioxide in
sand and rocks. Silicon is a very useful element used for semi-conductors in
electronics as well as in glass and pottery.

Sand contains many units of silicon dioxide

Other elements: There are also significant amounts of aluminium, iron and
calcium. These are all important metals used in manufacturing. The crust is mined
for the elements and compounds it contains. However, the resources on Earth are
finite, meaning they will run out if not used in a sustainable way.

For example, iron is mined from the Earth's crust in quarries. It is a finite resource
meaning it will eventually run out. This could take hundreds of years or be much
quicker depending on how humans use resources.

An iron ore quarry in Australia's Pilbara region

The mantle: The mantle is a semi-solid layer below the crust. There are no
elements in this part of the Earth's structure that can be easily extracted.

The mantle is the thickest layer of the Earth and is made of semi-solid rock that
moves very slowly, like a liquid. The tectonic plates float on top of the mantle,
meaning the tectonic plates and the mantle move at the same time.

The core: The core is made of iron, with a smaller amount of nickel. The inner
core is solid and the outer core is liquid. Humans do not extract elements from
the Earth's core.

The two metals in the core, iron and nickel, are both magnatic. This is what gives
the Earth its magnatic field, including the north and south poles.
Test your knowledge of the Earth's different layers in this quiz.

1. I am the layer of the Earth which is mined for my elements and compounds by
humans. My resources are finite.
Crust
Core
Mantle
2. I am made up of a semi-solid rock that slowly flows like liquid. I can move huge
tectonic plates in the crust. What am I?
Crust
Core
Mantle
3. I am made up of two parts, named inner and outer. My inner part is solid and
my outer part is liquid. I contain magnetic metals.
Core
Mantle
Crust
4. I am the element that makes up most of the core of the Earth. I am magnetic
and give the Earth its north and south poles.
Cobalt
Aluminium
Iron
5. I am the element that makes up the biggest percentage of the Earth’s crust. I
form compounds that make up rocks and minerals.
Oxygen
Silicon
Aluminium
6. Which two magnetic metals are present in the core?
Changing ideas about the Earth

The structure of the Earth has been debated for many centuries and ideas on how
the Earth is structured have changed over time.

 In the late 1500s, the Brabantian (now Belgium)

 Abraham Ortelius noticed that coastlines of some countries looked like they
might fit together.

 Just over 300 years later, in 1912, the German geologist Alfred Wegener
proposed a theory called continental drift. This was a was a revolutionary
theory suggesting that continents shift position on the Earth's surface.
 Wegener also proposed that all the continents were once part of a super
continent called Pangaea. Wegener could not correctly explain what caused
the continents to move but his ideas eventually led to modern theories of
plate tectonics.
 In modern times, equipment like seismometers (which measure
earthquakes) have been used to give evidence about the Earth’s structure.
Scientists now agree on the theory of plate tectonics.

Earth's continents used to be joined in one supercontinent, Pangea

Seismometers measure the strength of earthquakes

What was the earliest theory relating to the structure of the Earth?

The earliest ideas were from explorers and cartographers (people who drew
maps). They noticed that coastlines of some countries looked like they might fit
together.

For example, South America looks as though it can slot into Africa’s coastline. Can
you spot any others?

A map of the world's continents and oceans

1. Which word means that a resource is limited and might run out one day?

Finite
Renewable
Sustainable
2. Which part of the Earth is made mostly from iron, with some nickel?
Crust
Core
Mantle

3. Which part of the Earth is made from huge plates that move very slowly?
Crust
Core
Mantle
4. Which part of the Earth is a liquid which flows quickly?
Inner core
Outer core
Mantle
5. Which element is present in the crust in the greatest amount?
Oxygen
Iron
Aluminium
Silicon
6. Who proposed the idea of continental drift, suggesting that the continents
move very slowly?
Einstein
Wegener
Darwin
Newton
7. Which piece of equipment can be used to measure earthquakes and provide
evidence for tectonic plate movements?
Newtonmeter
Stopwatch
Seismometer
8. Which element is found in the crust and used in electronic devices as well as in
glass?
Nitrogen
Silicon
Hydrogen
 Composition of the Earth Quiz

1. When the boundaries of the ______ bump up against each other they can
cause earthquakes.
a. Crust
b. Mantle
c. Outer Core
d. Inner Core
e. Tectonic plates
2. What layer of the Earth is the second layer from the surface?
a. Crust
b. Mantle
c. Outer Core
d. Inner Core
e. Tectonic plates
3. Which layer is the hottest part of the Earth?
a. Crust
b. Mantle
c. Outer Core
d. Inner Core
e. Tectonic plates
4. Which layer is the thin outer layer of the Earth?
a. Crust
b. Mantle
c. Outer Core
d. Inner Core
e. Tectonic plates
5. What layer of the Earth creates the magnetic field around the Earth?
a. Crust
b. Mantle
c. Outer Core
d. Inner Core
e. Tectonic plates
6. Which of the following best describes the Earth's outer core?
a. The area of the Earth that is sometimes called the lithosphere
b. The thinnest layer of the four layers that make up the composition of the Earth
c. It consists of liquid iron and nickel
d. It resides between the crust and the inner core
e. It is under such immense pressure that, even though it is very hot, it is still a
solid
7. Which of the following best describes the Earth's inner core?
a. The area of the Earth that is sometimes called the lithosphere
b. The thinnest layer of the four layers that make up the composition of the Earth
c. It consists of liquid iron and nickel
d. It resides between the crust and the outer core
e. It is under such immense pressure that, even though it is very hot, it is still a
solid
8. Which of the following best describes the tectonic plates of the Earth?
a. The area of the Earth that is sometimes called the lithosphere
b. The thinnest layer of the four layers that make up the composition of the Earth
c. It consists of liquid iron and nickel
d. It resides between the crust and the outer core
e. It is under such immense pressure that, even though it is very hot, it is still a
solid
9. Which of the following best describes the Earth's crust?
a. The area of the Earth that is sometimes called the lithosphere
b. The thinnest layer of the four layers that make up the composition of the Earth
c. It consists of liquid iron and nickel
d. It resides between the crust and the outer core
e. It is under such immense pressure that, even though it is very hot, it is still a
solid
10. Which of the following best describes the Earth's mantle?
a. The area of the Earth that is sometimes called the lithosphere
b. The thinnest layer of the four layers that make up the composition of the Earth
c. It consists of liquid iron and nickel
d. It resides between the crust and the outer core
e. It is under such immense pressure that, even though it is very hot, it is still a
solid
Geology Crossword Puzzle
Across Down

1. Geological landforms that rise 2. Loose upper layer of the Earth's

above the surrounding land surface where plants grow

4. A nature underground chamber 3. A solid substance that occurs

naturally
6. Water, wind, and ice can cause
this wearing away of the land 4. The rock ____ describes how rocks
are constantly changing
9. When magma erupts to the
Earth's surface it is called this 5. These erupt

10. Caused when pieces of the 7. A valley or path between

Earth's crust suddenly shift mountains

12. Molten rock under the Earth's 8. The highest point of a mountain
surface
11. The description of the physical
14. The lithosphere is the part of the features of an area of land
Earth's surface that is _____
13. These types of rocks are formed
16. Tallest mountain in the world through great heat and pressure

18. The inner and outer core of the 14. Layer of Earth just below the crust
Earth is made up of ___ and
nickel 15. The ____ core is the hottest part of
the Earth
20. Igneous ____ are formed by
volcanoes 17. The preserved remains of a living
organism
21. Layers of soil
19. These giant plates move very
22. The Colorado River used erosion slowly
to form the Grand ____

23. Thick masses of ice that are

slowly moving

24. Thin outer layer of the Earth